WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH
This role partners closely with Global Training Merchants (Men’s Apparel, Women’s Apparel, Footwear, Direct), Geo Training Merchants, Global X-Sport Merchants, and cross-functional partners across Product, Design, Planning, Marketing, Analytics, Finance, and Nike Direct.
You will report directly to the Director of Merchandising, Men’s Global Training Apparel and will partner heavily with the Sr. Merchant, Men’s Global Training Apparel to drive the future of Men’s Training.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We’re seeking a highly visible, strategic merchant who will elevate Men’s Training through best-in-class assortments, tools, processes, and cross-functional partnerships. This leader brings an enterprise mindset, thrives in ambiguity, and consistently delivers clarity, alignment, and results.
A successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Bachelor’s degree in merchandising or a related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.
- 5+ years of experience in Merchandising, Buying, Product Management
- Apparel experience preferred, but not required
- Proven ability to set strategic vision and translate consumer, competitive, and business insights into compelling end-in-mind assortments
- Experience monitoring and applying trend insights to serve the consumer
- Enterprise mindset with deep integrity and consumer-first vision
- Strong communication skills and collaborative leadership
- Ability to balance multiple projects and timelines in a fast-paced environment
- Experience in line planning, assortment strategy and seasonal readiness
- Excellent presentation and communication skills
- Strong attention to detail and operational rigor
WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON
Global Training is the engine that fuels Athlete* dreams, serving Athletes* as they Prime, Train, and Recover for Sport. As Lead Merchant, you will shape the future of Men’s Training Apparel through strategic vision, consumer obsession, and marketplace excellence.
You will:
- Build End‑in‑Mind Men’s Training assortments across Global and Geo, rooted in athlete mission, consumer segmentation, and marketplace opportunity
- Lead with a strong consumer-first mindset, ensuring every decision ladders up to Training’s long-range plan and marketplace needs
- Develop short, mid, and long-term product strategies balancing hindsight, foresight, and key stakeholder input
- Blend art and science with Product, Design, Planning, to deliver game-changing results
- Mentor teammates and serve as a key X-Sport ambassador for Men’s Training Apparel
Responsibilities will include:
Assortment Architecture & Franchise Leadership
- Managing and guiding Men’s Training Apparel Assortment Architecture via Line-planning and Franchise Lifecycle Management. Franchise focuses: 24.7, Unlimited, Primary, Flex, Form.
- Obsessing the Athlete* to create Modality-Led, end-in-mind assortments for Men’s Training Apparel that capture market-share & mindshare.
Financial Ownership, Business Insights
- Creating a product line that drives sustainable, productive growth
- Meeting and exceeding Style, Revenue, Margin targets
- Managing key financial levers including Productivity, Margin, IMU/SMU, Product Forecasting
- Monitoring business health via Midsight and Hindsight recapping, distilling clear, actionable insights for the cross-functional team that can be converted into actionable future strategy
Marketplace, Geo, and Channel Strategy
- Partnering with Geo’s (NA, EMA, APLA, GC) and Accounts (ex: Sporting Goods, Athletic Speciality, Department Stores, Nike Direct) to balance harmonized Global POV’s with Geo-specific and channel-specific nuance and opportunities
- Building differentiated strategies that reflect consumer behaviour, marketplace dynamics, and competitive landscape
Innovation And Future Franchise Creation
- Identifying whitespace opportunities and competitive gaps, informed by business insights, key stakeholder input, brand strategy, and competitive research
- Partnering with Product & Design to shape future franchise creation and long-term innovation pipelines
Operational Excellence, Elevating Tools
- Elevating communications, tools, processes, reports, presentations
- Leading and contributing at Key CODE milestones to drive marketplace adoption across Geo and Channel
- Ensuring readiness across seasonal gates and cross-functional workflows
Leadership & Collaboration
- Driving alignment across Training (Men’s Apparel, Women’s Apparel, Footwear)
- Driving alignment across Geographics (NA, EMEA, APLA, GC)
- Mentoring Men’s Training Apparel team and broader Training team
We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.